At the keynote of Intel Developer Forum 2010, the silicon giant gave a sneak-peak into its upcoming processor brand, revealing new product logos (case badges), and a die-shot of the Sandy Bridge quad-core silicon. Intel retains the Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 brand identifiers, but refers to the family of processors based on the Sandy Bridge architecture as second-generation Core processors or the 2011 Intel Core processors. For the same reason, processor model numbers start with the 2000 series as detailed in this article.

The die shot reveals integration of the IGP-embedded northbridge component completely into the processor die. In "Clarkdale" Core i3 and Core i5 processors, the northbridge component was present on a separate die from the CPU die, with a QPI link connecting the two dies on the same package. The Sandy Bridge quad-core die is known to feature 6 MB of L3 cache, a dual-channel DDR3 IMC, and a DirectX 10.1 compliant graphics processor. Apart from merely driving graphics, the IGP also feature several media-acceleration features that speed up video encoding. Sandy Bridge is fabricated on the 32 nanometer HKMG process. The evolution of Intel's architectures is shown on the last picture. The "Nehalem" chip there is the Lynnfield quad-core processor that completely lacks an IGP, "Westmere" is the Clarkdale dual-core processor that has an IGP and memory controller on a second (larger) 45 nm die. The chip to the right is a 32 nm Sandy Bridge that integrates a quad-core chip with an IGP-embedded northbridge.

20 Commentson Intel Reveals New Logos and a Die Shot of Second Generation Core Processors

Sweet, I really like the new logos - clearly represents the integrated GPU (now that it's actually worth-while compared to previous generations) and the CPU in one package/die. Can't wait for these to hit the shelves!

Completely Bonkers said:I really DO NOT like that picture of the girl with the backwards bending finger exerting so much pressure on a screen that isnt actually touch sensitive but has just been done as a marketing dummy.

btarunr said:The die shot reveals integration of the IGP-embedded northbridge component completely into the processor die. In "Clarkdale" Core i3 and Core i5 processors, the northbridge component was present on a separate die from the CPU die, with a QPI link connecting the two dies on the same package. The Sandy Bridge quad-core die is known to feature 6 MB of L3 cache, a dual-channel DDR3 IMC, and a DirectX 10.1 compliant graphics processor.

This is one big CPU, or at least big as in transistor count - doesn't look much bigger than intel's previous CPUs. Did anyone manage to find any numbers about the physical size of the cpu and the number of transistors? It looks very densely packed.

Steevo said:I put on a case badge and my computer has like 200 more megahurtz. I feel the gigahurts really kick in now.

I wonder how much of the integrated GPU is ATI tech?

The two giants did exchange some info but I'd have to say that it's probably less than 10%. Sandy Bridge has been in the pipeline for quite some time and they did also test the technology with the "new" Atom CPUs. The gpu itself was licensed from Imagination's Power VR, right?